The rumours are true: Ryan Reynolds will be reprising his role as Deadpool in the 2016 standalone X-Men spinoff movie.

Earlier this year, we brought you the news that Deadpool is headed for a 2016 release, with first-time feature director Tim Miller at the helm.

Now we have confirmation that Ryan Reynolds will return as the title character. The 38-year-old actor first donned the suit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), but after the flop of Green Lantern in 2011, it was not clear whether he would be returning to the superhero world.

Reynolds was the first to (sort of) break the news on Twitter:

Confirmation soon followed from 20th Century Fox, who gave the exclusive to Deadline.

Also known as Wade Wilson, Deadpool is an indestructable anti-hero with scars all over his body. He was a normal guy dying from cancer, until he was selected for Project X, a mutant project which gives him accelerated healing powers (derived from Wolverine).

In the comics he starts as a villain, working as a mercenary and assassin, although he’s also very funny, with his wisecracking and breaking the fourth wall.

In X-Men: Wolverine, Deadpool is one of the main antagonists. He’s transformed into a mutant killer, and Wolverine takes him out at the end of the movie – although the post-credits scene implies that he’s still alive.

Deadpool hits cinemas on Feb. 12, 2016.